Wilson

Increasingly, agents are discovering that they have customers that they no longer want for one or more of many reasons. Maybe it's a contractor that generates so much certificate of insurance activity that commissions can't offset the cost to service the account. Other customers may have 'personality' problems or present what agency management perceives as a morale hazard. So, how do you get rid of them?

Defining what is great customer service can be difficult. However, before we can provide, or even define, great customers service, it's probably more important that we recognize bad customer service. Recently, we heard from a consumer who had a bad insurance experience. Perhaps we can all learn something from it.

Customer service is critical to agency profitability and growth. Outstanding customer service leads to customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction leads to customer loyalty. Customer loyalty leads to retention and referrals...retention is the key to profitability and referrals are the key to cost-effective growth. We all know that, don't we?

We occasionally get 'Ask an Expert' questions from agency owners interested in improving the customer service skills of their CSRs, producers and others. In this short article, I'll take a look at some of the resources on the internet, in print, or in the classroom to improve your staff's knowledge in this critical skill area.

If you've ever stayed at a Ritz-Carlton hotel, I'm betting that the experience was outstanding. How can they do it so much better than most hotel chains? Yes, you do pay a premium for their services, but largely The Ritz does it by creating a corporate culture almost solely devoted to serving the customer....

The Golden Rule, 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you,' may seem self-evident in the way we try to conduct our personal lives. Yet this axiom is assuming new importance as a guiding principle in the world of business. When prices were high, customers blithely traded away high-quality service in exchange for price reductions or convenience. Those days are no more. Instead, customers are demanding service again.

In this six-part series, we're going to explore how technology can and should be used to enhance your ability to provide high levels of quality customer service. We'll look at two areas: traditional technologies such as the telephone, voice mail and fax, then emerging technologies such as email and internet web sites. This article is an introduction to the topic.

In this six-part series, we're going to explore how technology can and should be used to enhance your ability to provide high levels of quality customer service. We'll look at two areas: traditional technologies such as the telephone, voice mail and fax, then emerging technologies such as email and internet web sites. This article examines the telephone.

In this six-part series, we're going to explore how technology can and should be used to enhance your ability to provide high levels of quality customer service. We'll look at two areas: traditional technologies such as the telephone, voice mail and fax, then emerging technologies such as email and internet web sites. This article examines voice mail.

In this six-part series, we're going to explore how technology can and should be used to enhance your ability to provide high levels of quality customer service. We'll look at two areas: traditional technologies such as the telephone, voice mail and fax, then emerging technologies such as email and internet web sites. This article examines faxing.

In this six-part series, we're going to explore how technology can and should be used to enhance your ability to provide high levels of quality customer service. We'll look at two areas: traditional technologies such as the telephone, voice mail and fax, then emerging technologies such as email and internet web sites. This article examines email.

In this six-part series, we're going to explore how technology can and should be used to enhance your ability to provide high levels of quality customer service. We'll look at two areas: traditional technologies such as the telephone, voice mail and fax, then emerging technologies such as email and internet web sites. This article examines your web site.